The chihuahua and kitten, named Beignet and Gumbo, were found when a Barstow resident living next to a vacant home heard what sounded like an abandoned dog and puppy outside. As temperatures reached 20 degrees outside, the good Samaritan checked on the dogs and found something unusual -- there was no puppy. Instead, Beignet was found nursing Gumbo, a small kitten.

The pair was taken to the Helen Woodward Animal Center where they have since been recovering.

“This incredible little family really demonstrates the pure hearts of the orphan animals we meet each day,” the center’s inventory manager Labeth Thompson said. “They needed each other and they were there for each other.”